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GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH Your Personal Guitar Lesson |
Photo by Robin Gentile, NYC
| BE SURE TO VISIT DOUG'S "SECRET VAULT" It contains many of Doug's Previous Guitar Technique Tips of the Month |
Have a comment?
Question?
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We would love to hear from you.
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
We would love to hear from you.
We have a Printer Friendlier (PDF) version of this article that's also easier on the eyes.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
Another New Year’s Resolution? Not Quite.
How About A Life’s Resolution!
By Douglas Niedt
Copyright Douglas Niedt, All Rights Reserved. This article may be reprinted, but please be
considerate and give credit to Douglas Niedt.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
Okay class, what’s the one best way to become a better guitarist. Anyone? It’s an easy answer:
PRACTICE.
I’ll bet many of you have made the New Year’s Resolution, “I will practice the guitar every day.”
And I know that most of you want to do that. Your intention is absolutely to practice every day.
You love playing the guitar. It’s fun. It’s challenging. You’re always learning something new
about the instrument, music, and yourself.
But don’t look at playing the guitar as just another hobby or simply a very satisfying thing that
you enjoy doing. If you play or teach professionally, don’t look at yourself as being just a
guitarist making a living in music. Whether you are an amateur or professional, there is much
more to it and it deserves your attention and cultivation. The important thing to realize, and the
point of this essay, is that the guitar feeds your soul. That is the most important reason to play
any musical instrument. And to do it every day.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
I believe in Muses. I believe in Angels. I believe in God. I believe that every artistic creation
comes from the infinite intelligence that created us and the universe in all its glory out of the
Void. When I listen to the works of Bach, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and hundreds of other
pieces, I’m sorry; I don’t believe they were created only by mortal men. The musician is the
servant of the Muses, of the Angels, of God. Bach knew full well he was not the source of the
creations he wrote down. We mortal men only facilitate, we carry. We are the willing and skilled
(sometimes very unskilled) instruments of the Muses, Angels, and God we serve.
Up until now, you may have only been aware of the joy elicited when playing the guitar. You
may even enjoy playing for others. You may enjoy teaching others. But I think if you look a little
deeper, there is far more going on within you, between you and the guitar, and between the two
of you and a higher plane of reality than you may realize. And it doesn’t even matter if you play
well or terribly. And it doesn’t matter what others think of your playing. The bigger picture is that
you are giving back to those agents of the infinite what they have deigned to gift to you.
I want you to see that practicing the guitar every day is not just something you do to have fun. If
loved ones or other areas of your life put heavy demands on your time, don’t think it a selfish
act to ask every day to give you thirty minutes, an hour, or six hours to spend with your guitar.
You aren’t using that time to get away from your job, the kids, your spouse, or tasks you don’t
want to do. You are feeding your soul. Perhaps if you see the truth in that, you will find it easier
to find the time to practice every day.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
Have you ever bought exercise equipment with the very best intentions of using it to whip your
sorry body into shape only to have the equipment gather dust in the basement? Have you
started a diet and six months later gained ten pounds? Have you wanted to start a small
business but never got around to it? Have you wanted to quit smoking or drinking but just
couldn’t get motivated? My friends, you have met the enemy, and he is RESISTANCE.
MANY activities elicit Resistance. Here are a few:
Resistance is evil. It makes us less than we are and were born to be. It prevents us from
achieving the things that really matter. It fights any act that would result in long-term growth,
health, or integrity. It tries to distract us and prevent us from doing our work. Resistance will tell
you anything to keep you from your goals. It will lie, fabricate, falsify, seduce, bully, and whine.
It will assume any form if that is what it takes to deceive you. It will make you think your spouse,
your kids, or your job is the problem. Those are peripheral. Resistance comes from within, self-
generated and perpetuated. It will pledge anything to get a deal and double-cross you as soon
as you turn your back. Resistance can’t be reasoned with or worn down. Its sole purpose is
destruction. It wants to prevent us from doing what we know we should do.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
Resistance is not out to get your personally or just mess up your guitar practice schedule. It
doesn’t know who you are and doesn’t care. Everyone struggles with it. It’s a force and falls
upon us with the indifference of rain. And it rains everyday.
The more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution (such as the simple act of
practicing the guitar to feed our soul) the stronger Resistance will fight it. Resistance’s goal is
not just to wound, disable, or delay. Resistance aims to kill. Resistance means business. Its
target is the epicenter of our being: our soul, our intelligence, and the unique gifts each of us
has been given.
Resistance only obstructs when we seek to evolve to a higher station morally, educationally,
ethically, or spiritually. So if you’re in Calcutta working with the Mother Teresa Foundation and
you’re thinking of bolting to launch a career in telemarketing, relax. Resistance will give you a
free pass.
Yes readers, I hear you. “Doug, what’s all this? I thought you were just going to tell me to stop
procrastinating and practice the darn guitar.” I am telling you that, but I think you have to
understand the stakes here and that this is a war. This isn’t just about another innocuous New
Year’s Resolution that you probably won’t keep. You have to understand that practicing the
guitar falls into the category of evolving to a higher station and in particular the evolution of
your soul. Resistance wants to kill that with everything it’s got.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
Here is the best weapon I know to fight the war. It’s called the Principle of Priority. It states:
1.) You must know the difference between what is urgent and what is important.
2.) YOU MUST DO WHAT’S IMPORTANT FIRST.
Guess what’s important? Yes, Practicing the Guitar. What’s urgent? The urgent things are
paying the bills, finishing that report for the boss, keeping that dental appointment, taking the
car in to be fixed. The urgent list goes on and on. If you do the urgent stuff first, you will NEVER
get around to practicing the guitar. Leaving the urgent for later defeats the
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
two most common forms of Resistance: procrastination and rationalization. I don’t even need to
get into those—you know them well. Remember, you can lie to yourself, but it’s another thing to
believe it. If you cave today, Resistance will see to it that you are twice as likely to cave
tomorrow. Resistance is like a telemarketer; if you so much as say hello, you’re finished. Don’t
even pick up the phone.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
“But Doug,” you ask, “If I don’t get that report to the boss I’ll get fired. If I don’t pay the bills the
collection agency will come after me.” Yes that’s true. But you are going to get around to that
report, you are going to get to the dentist. The difference is that you make the guitar the first
priority, do it first. Then make time for the urgent grunt stuff. Yes, going to the dentist will keep
your teeth from falling out, but it isn’t going to feed your soul. Paying the bills will keep the bill
collectors at bay, but they won’t feed your soul. And when you don’t do what your inner being
knows you should be doing, what your innermost thoughts tell you, you are going to be
unhappy and unsettled. You will be bored, restless, and you will feel guilty.
Make the decision. Make it your Resolution not for the New Year, but for the rest of your life:
“I am going to put practicing the guitar in the ‘Important’ category.”
Forget the urgent—leave that for later. If you don’t practice, you hurt yourself. You starve your
soul—that’s plain stupid and downright dangerous. Whether you realize it or not, you have
been given a gift, and no matter how pitiful or magnificent it may seem to you, it is not yours—it
is to be given back to your Muse, your Angel, your God. Creative work on any level is a gift to
the world. Give us what you’ve got.
__________________________
Much of the material from this essay comes from The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. If you suffer from creative
battles or blocks, I highly recommend it, especially if you are a professional. It is written from a writer’s
perspective, but is applicable to anyone in the arts.
How About A Life’s Resolution!
By Douglas Niedt
Copyright Douglas Niedt, All Rights Reserved. This article may be reprinted, but please be
considerate and give credit to Douglas Niedt.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
Okay class, what’s the one best way to become a better guitarist. Anyone? It’s an easy answer:
PRACTICE.
I’ll bet many of you have made the New Year’s Resolution, “I will practice the guitar every day.”
And I know that most of you want to do that. Your intention is absolutely to practice every day.
You love playing the guitar. It’s fun. It’s challenging. You’re always learning something new
about the instrument, music, and yourself.
But don’t look at playing the guitar as just another hobby or simply a very satisfying thing that
you enjoy doing. If you play or teach professionally, don’t look at yourself as being just a
guitarist making a living in music. Whether you are an amateur or professional, there is much
more to it and it deserves your attention and cultivation. The important thing to realize, and the
point of this essay, is that the guitar feeds your soul. That is the most important reason to play
any musical instrument. And to do it every day.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
I believe in Muses. I believe in Angels. I believe in God. I believe that every artistic creation
comes from the infinite intelligence that created us and the universe in all its glory out of the
Void. When I listen to the works of Bach, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and hundreds of other
pieces, I’m sorry; I don’t believe they were created only by mortal men. The musician is the
servant of the Muses, of the Angels, of God. Bach knew full well he was not the source of the
creations he wrote down. We mortal men only facilitate, we carry. We are the willing and skilled
(sometimes very unskilled) instruments of the Muses, Angels, and God we serve.
Up until now, you may have only been aware of the joy elicited when playing the guitar. You
may even enjoy playing for others. You may enjoy teaching others. But I think if you look a little
deeper, there is far more going on within you, between you and the guitar, and between the two
of you and a higher plane of reality than you may realize. And it doesn’t even matter if you play
well or terribly. And it doesn’t matter what others think of your playing. The bigger picture is that
you are giving back to those agents of the infinite what they have deigned to gift to you.
I want you to see that practicing the guitar every day is not just something you do to have fun. If
loved ones or other areas of your life put heavy demands on your time, don’t think it a selfish
act to ask every day to give you thirty minutes, an hour, or six hours to spend with your guitar.
You aren’t using that time to get away from your job, the kids, your spouse, or tasks you don’t
want to do. You are feeding your soul. Perhaps if you see the truth in that, you will find it easier
to find the time to practice every day.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
Have you ever bought exercise equipment with the very best intentions of using it to whip your
sorry body into shape only to have the equipment gather dust in the basement? Have you
started a diet and six months later gained ten pounds? Have you wanted to start a small
business but never got around to it? Have you wanted to quit smoking or drinking but just
couldn’t get motivated? My friends, you have met the enemy, and he is RESISTANCE.
MANY activities elicit Resistance. Here are a few:
- The pursuit of anything having to do with the arts--playing the guitar, painting, writing,
dancing, photography, filming. And it doesn't matter how marginal or unconventional the
activity is or whether you are any good at it. - Any diet or health regimen.
- Any activity whose aim is tighter abdominals.
- Education of every kind.
- Any course or program to overcome a bad habit or addiction.
- Any act of courage.
- Starting a business venture.
- Any commitment of the heart (marriage, having kids, helping others).
Resistance is evil. It makes us less than we are and were born to be. It prevents us from
achieving the things that really matter. It fights any act that would result in long-term growth,
health, or integrity. It tries to distract us and prevent us from doing our work. Resistance will tell
you anything to keep you from your goals. It will lie, fabricate, falsify, seduce, bully, and whine.
It will assume any form if that is what it takes to deceive you. It will make you think your spouse,
your kids, or your job is the problem. Those are peripheral. Resistance comes from within, self-
generated and perpetuated. It will pledge anything to get a deal and double-cross you as soon
as you turn your back. Resistance can’t be reasoned with or worn down. Its sole purpose is
destruction. It wants to prevent us from doing what we know we should do.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
Resistance is not out to get your personally or just mess up your guitar practice schedule. It
doesn’t know who you are and doesn’t care. Everyone struggles with it. It’s a force and falls
upon us with the indifference of rain. And it rains everyday.
The more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution (such as the simple act of
practicing the guitar to feed our soul) the stronger Resistance will fight it. Resistance’s goal is
not just to wound, disable, or delay. Resistance aims to kill. Resistance means business. Its
target is the epicenter of our being: our soul, our intelligence, and the unique gifts each of us
has been given.
Resistance only obstructs when we seek to evolve to a higher station morally, educationally,
ethically, or spiritually. So if you’re in Calcutta working with the Mother Teresa Foundation and
you’re thinking of bolting to launch a career in telemarketing, relax. Resistance will give you a
free pass.
Yes readers, I hear you. “Doug, what’s all this? I thought you were just going to tell me to stop
procrastinating and practice the darn guitar.” I am telling you that, but I think you have to
understand the stakes here and that this is a war. This isn’t just about another innocuous New
Year’s Resolution that you probably won’t keep. You have to understand that practicing the
guitar falls into the category of evolving to a higher station and in particular the evolution of
your soul. Resistance wants to kill that with everything it’s got.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
Here is the best weapon I know to fight the war. It’s called the Principle of Priority. It states:
1.) You must know the difference between what is urgent and what is important.
2.) YOU MUST DO WHAT’S IMPORTANT FIRST.
Guess what’s important? Yes, Practicing the Guitar. What’s urgent? The urgent things are
paying the bills, finishing that report for the boss, keeping that dental appointment, taking the
car in to be fixed. The urgent list goes on and on. If you do the urgent stuff first, you will NEVER
get around to practicing the guitar. Leaving the urgent for later defeats the
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
two most common forms of Resistance: procrastination and rationalization. I don’t even need to
get into those—you know them well. Remember, you can lie to yourself, but it’s another thing to
believe it. If you cave today, Resistance will see to it that you are twice as likely to cave
tomorrow. Resistance is like a telemarketer; if you so much as say hello, you’re finished. Don’t
even pick up the phone.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
“But Doug,” you ask, “If I don’t get that report to the boss I’ll get fired. If I don’t pay the bills the
collection agency will come after me.” Yes that’s true. But you are going to get around to that
report, you are going to get to the dentist. The difference is that you make the guitar the first
priority, do it first. Then make time for the urgent grunt stuff. Yes, going to the dentist will keep
your teeth from falling out, but it isn’t going to feed your soul. Paying the bills will keep the bill
collectors at bay, but they won’t feed your soul. And when you don’t do what your inner being
knows you should be doing, what your innermost thoughts tell you, you are going to be
unhappy and unsettled. You will be bored, restless, and you will feel guilty.
Make the decision. Make it your Resolution not for the New Year, but for the rest of your life:
“I am going to put practicing the guitar in the ‘Important’ category.”
Forget the urgent—leave that for later. If you don’t practice, you hurt yourself. You starve your
soul—that’s plain stupid and downright dangerous. Whether you realize it or not, you have
been given a gift, and no matter how pitiful or magnificent it may seem to you, it is not yours—it
is to be given back to your Muse, your Angel, your God. Creative work on any level is a gift to
the world. Give us what you’ve got.
__________________________
Much of the material from this essay comes from The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. If you suffer from creative
battles or blocks, I highly recommend it, especially if you are a professional. It is written from a writer’s
perspective, but is applicable to anyone in the arts.
BE SURE TO VISIT DOUG'S "SECRET VAULT"
It contains many of Doug's Previous
Guitar Technique Tips of the Month
It contains many of Doug's Previous
Guitar Technique Tips of the Month
Have a comment?
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
We would love to hear from you.
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
We would love to hear from you.
We have a Printer Friendlier (PDF) version of this article that's also easier on the eyes.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
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| These are my very detailed, in-depth articles and high-def videos on how to play the classical guitar. It's like getting your own private guitar lesson every month. Need info on classical guitar right hand technique? Guitar scales? How to play bar chords? Harmonics? Looking for a classical guitar practicing routine? Tips on performing onstage? How to tune a guitar? Looking for easy Christmas guitar arrangements? Chances are, I have covered it, or will soon. The tips are by subscription only. |
Be a better guitar player or teacher. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Purchase a ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to:
DOUGLAS NIEDT'S GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH
Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best on the
Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written tips run
over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and the
production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.
Purchase a ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to:
DOUGLAS NIEDT'S GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH
Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best on the
Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written tips run
over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and the
production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.
Be a better guitar player or teacher. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Purchase a ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to:
DOUGLAS NIEDT'S GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH
Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best on
the Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written
tips run over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and
the production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.
Purchase a ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to:
DOUGLAS NIEDT'S GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH
Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best on
the Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written
tips run over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and
the production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.